1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:10 am Louis Prima - The Wildest! - 1956
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Another artist I've not heard before.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Madmarcus wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:50 am
Kraken wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:48 pm A lot of artists released albums with filler around their hits, but some wrote albums as a whole. The Lamb Lies Down (On Broadway), The Wall, Tommy, Desperado...does anyone still write stories like that? Even when they had filler, it was a bridge between chapters.
The ArchAndroid is such an album
That's probably a better example then what I gave on the previous page.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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How can you take any list seriously that has a Britney Spears album on it?
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Scuzz wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:16 pm How can you take any list seriously that has a Britney Spears album on it?
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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I think any list of hundreds of albums you must listen to before you go deaf or the singularity happens is by default more of a fascination than a gospel. This whole list is biased toward western/U.S. pop/rock. But I don't know how you could construct a balanced list, either. 50% of the fun seems to be in the disagreeing. Slipknot being on here bothers me as much as Brittney Spears.

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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Sudy wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:31 pm I think any list of hundreds of albums you must listen to before you go deaf or the singularity happens is by default more of a fascination than a gospel. This whole list is biased toward western/U.S. pop/rock. But I don't know how you could construct a balanced list, either. 50% of the fun seems to be in the disagreeing. Slipknot being on here bothers me as much as Brittney Spears.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Sudy wrote:I think any list of hundreds of albums you must listen to before you go deaf or the singularity happens is by default more of a fascination than a gospel. This whole list is biased toward western/U.S. pop/rock. But I don't know how you could construct a balanced list, either. 50% of the fun seems to be in the disagreeing. Slipknot being on here bothers me as much as Brittney Spears.
Yes to this. I have weird quibbles with stuff in my wheelhouse; like why not Heaven Up Here by Echo and the Bunnymen when Crocodiles, Porcupine and Ocean Rain made the list. Also no New Order Power, Corruption and Lies.

But I guess I chalk it up to randomness mostly. I also don’t care much now about almost anything from the mid 60s and before.

I’m not tied to albums either because I don’t mind listening to compilations, especially older bands I want to explore like The Kinks.

Just music brings me joy. It’s great to think about, debate and listen.


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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Dramatist wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:53 pm Also no New Order Power, Corruption and Lies.
I'd make an argument for Technique but that may be more a matter of timing - it was released when I was 17. I think any music from your 16-24 years is going to be looked back on fondly

Just music brings me joy. It’s great to think about, debate and listen.
That's mostly why I wanted the book and started this project. I have some some strong objections to what's included (Limp Biscuit? Kid Rock?) but it's all subjective. I'm no fan of hip hop so I'm really not looking forward to those entries but who knows - maybe I'll find something I'll like.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:02 pm I think any music from your 16-24 years is going to be looked back on fondly
I look back on disco with scorn and derision. 40+ years has not softened me on it one bit.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Jeff V wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:07 pm
Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:02 pm I think any music from your 16-24 years is going to be looked back on fondly
I look back on disco with scorn and derision. 40+ years has not softened me on it one bit.
WTF, I agree with Jeff. Disco was a dark era where I had to plumb the depths to find anything worthy.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Duke Ellington - Ellington at Newport - 1956
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Interesting background to this one - the original release wasn't actually recorded at Newport. By 1956 big bands like Duke Ellington's were out of favor (damn those kids and their rock'n'roll!) but this performance was so well received the record company rushed out a recording. The book tells me the recording of the performance at the Newport Jazz Festival was "flawed" (wiki says Duke didn't like the performance of one number) so they had the band go into the recording studio the following Monday. The original release is a splice job combining the studio session with the live recording. A 1999 re-issue features the original live recording from the Newport Jazz Festival and is available on Spotify.

I like a lot of music from the big band era so I enjoyed this quite a bit. There are a few slower pieces that had me ready for the band to move on ("Sophisticated Lady" is too slow for my taste and kind of drags things to a halt for ~4 minutes) but most selections are lively enough to entertain. This set is famous for a lengthy saxophone solo during "Diminuendo in Blue" that lasts through "27 choruses." That's... a lot; the track is over 14 minutes long. You can hear the band egging him on and the crowd getting more and more excited the longer it goes. The next track is called "Announcements, Pandemonium" which is pretty accurate - the crowd was nearing Beatles-level hysteria.

An amazing show and a memorable experience listening to it 65 years later.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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I'm going to try to knock these out as well. I have a bit of a boost because a few years ago I did the Rolling Stone Top 500, and obviously there's quite a bit of overlap.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by Dramatist »

I like reading these but could not do it myself.

I get little satisfaction and insight from listening to something once.
L
I generally like what I call challenging music. I am drawn to some weird stuff.

For example; over the last few years I have been becoming more aware and interested in Roxy Music. They were before my time generally and not super popular in America ever. I got a compilation and discovered that I liked the weird experimental art rock when the had Brian Eno though their evolution to the smooth/suave adult pop of Avalon. A couple of years ago I did a huge step for me and got a box set of all their albums on cd. Of course I have listened to it all but even still the albums that I revisit the most are Avalon and For Your Pleasure. For Your Pleasure is now an all time favorite and I enjoy it more than if I would have just been checking it off a list.


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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Dramatist wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 3:05 pm
For example; over the last few years I have been becoming more aware and interested in Roxy Music. They were before my time generally and not super popular in America ever. I got a compilation and discovered that I liked the weird experimental art rock when the had Brian Eno though their evolution to the smooth/suave adult pop of Avalon. A couple of years ago I did a huge step for me and got a box set of all their albums on cd. Of course I have listened to it all but even still the albums that I revisit the most are Avalon and For Your Pleasure. For Your Pleasure is now an all time favorite and I enjoy it more than if I would have just been checking it off a list.
the first (self-titled) one is my favorite. Bryan Ferry is one of those individuals where you really have to separate the 'art' from the 'artist'. Eno is an all-time favorite, however. (maybe even the 'all-time favorite'.) i also enjoy the many side projects (particularly Andy MacKay and Phil Manzanera)
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by LordMortis »

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:42 pm
Jeff V wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:07 pm
Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 10, 2021 10:02 pm I think any music from your 16-24 years is going to be looked back on fondly
I look back on disco with scorn and derision. 40+ years has not softened me on it one bit.
WTF, I agree with Jeff. Disco was a dark era where I had to plumb the depths to find anything worthy.
I used to scorn such things but then somewhere in the 80s I discovered Donna Summer was really good and really ahead of her time. This opened the door to accept other bits and pieces. I don't even scorn country music any more. To each their own. Where ever you find your happy. Except for Eagles. They went and ruined everything which ruined my happy. And that makes no sense, as I love me some Joe Walsh and some Don Henley and can tolerate the others. But none of their music is remotely like Eagles and has done the damage to radio play that I am subjected to.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by Jaymon »

Does the book give you any indication of why each of those albums is important or was included on the list?
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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YellowKing wrote: Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:26 am I'm going to try to knock these out as well.
/highfive

Awesome! Feel free to post your thoughts. And good luck with the Louvin Brothers album. <shudder>

Does the book give you any indication of why each of those albums is important or was included on the list?
Not really. There's about 20 writers who contribute album explanations so I'm guessing it was a collaborative effort but there's no explanation.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Yep these are a lot of fun. I've really let my music listening slide in favor of podcasts, so this has inspired me to take a break from that and get back to some albums.

After subtracting the ones I know I've listened from the Rolling Stones Top 500 (2012), I've got 671 to go. So maybe "knock out" is being a bit overconfident. :D I threw them all in a spreadsheet and am using a random number generator to pick what to listen to.

First one up was Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory. I really like Neil Young, but I definitely prefer his softer acoustic singer-songwriter stuff to his rock stuff. This album leans towards the latter, as it was recorded as a garage album. As such, it sounds more like a jam session than a proper album, and vocally Neil doesn't give a shit if he stays anywhere close to in tune.

Still, I found myself really liking a few of the tracks on here, and even the ones I didn't care for as much have such a rough-edged charm that I didn't mind them.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers! - 1956
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OK, so I live in Portland. And I have a beard. And I listen to a lot of music that doesn't get played on the radio. And I like craft beer and boardgames. But clearly I'm not a hipster because I kind of can't stand Frank Sinatra.

I guess this album is an improvement over the first if only because it's got some songs you've heard in a million other places ("You Make Me Feel So Young", "I've Got You Under My Skin") And it's not as interminably dull as In The Wee Small Hours but it just doesn't DO anything for me. The best music makes you feel something even if it's just the urge to dance.

This makes me wish I could see the movie that it should be playing over because the songs themselves do nothing.

At least "How About You" reminded me of The Fisher King. That was the highlight of the album. :mrgreen:

Here's hoping this is the last we see of Frank on this list. (Spoiler - it's not. But it appears we get a break until 1967)
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Exodor wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 1:04 am At least "How About You" reminded me of The Fisher King. That was the highlight of the album. :mrgreen:
That's in 1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die.

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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets - 1957
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I've heard the name Buddy Holly many times but I've heard more about the plane crash than his music. Here we've got twelve songs in 25 minutes which is a pretty quick introduction to his sound. The male harmonies firmly root the sound in the 50s but you can hear a lot of what the Beatles would use on their first few albums here. "Tell Me Home" and "That'll Be the Day" are the standouts but most of the tracks are worth a listen.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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I'm not going through every album I listen to, but figured I would point out the ones I really enjoyed:

- THE KINKS - Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) - I'm not overly familiar with The Kinks' stuff, which is a shame because I've loved everything I've heard from them, and they inspired a ton of bands I really like. This album was pure Brit-rock goodness. I do intend to go back and more thoroughly explore their discography, because this album proved I was missing out.

- MORRISSEY - Vauxhall and I - This one's tough because it's one of those "how do you separate the art from the artist?" type deals. Morrissey's weird politics (supporting liberal American politicians in one breath and supporting far-right UK politicians the next) just leaves you scratching your head. The guy's probably a total asshole but I'm just hear to judge the music. And I really loved this one. I first got into The Smiths courtesy of the Rolling Stone Top 500 challenge, and this felt like a continuation of that discovery.

- ALICE IN CHAINS - Dirt - OK, this one wasn't even fair really. I almost just crossed it off the "to listen" list because I've heard this album at least a hundred times. This was the first CD I ever bought...before I even had a CD player. I bought it just so I owned the best quality version of the album even if I couldn't actually listen to it. I was a HUGE Alice in Chains fan. They were by far my favorite grunge band, and still are. I bought every Alice in Chains shirt the music stores had. While I had all of their albums, Dirt was by far the most played. There's not a bad track on it.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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YellowKing wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:59 pm Morrissey's weird politics (supporting liberal American politicians in one breath and supporting far-right UK politicians the next) just leaves you scratching your head.
i have... a lot ... of Morrissey albums/merch but i'm at the point where i stopped buying his stuff/paying to go to his shows because i'm tired of it. it's like he's contrarian just to be contrarian at times.* it doesn't help that i don't feel he's released a consistent album since 1992 (_Your Arsenal_ was better than _Vauxhall & I_). i'll listen to the new ones... once... when i borrow them from the library.


* i know some of the reason is he (as well as John Lydon) both have put their full support behind working-class British and (at least say they) will follow them 100% to the grave, right or wrong
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Kraken wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:48 pm A lot of artists released albums with filler around their hits, but some wrote albums as a whole. The Lamb Lies Down (On Broadway), The Wall, Tommy, Desperado...does anyone still write stories like that? Even when they had filler, it was a bridge between chapters.
Do you mean albums that try to be musical theatre or albums that are released to be albums, that continue a theme or just fit together? I kinda fell off the must scene more than a few years ago but yes artists were still creating albums to be full albums and a collection of 45 minutes of individual songs.



(probably should have been on my must listen to list. No it definitely should have been on my must listen list. Given it's more relevant today than it was 11-12 years ago when it was released)

Youtube is not ideal listening because many songs bleed into each other.

But it's not a rock opera. Most of the albums I was buying in the early 2010s were "albums" and best listened to in their entirety.

Edit: Wow. "You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser. You will always be a loser." has a lot more baggage today than it did in 2009.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by Kraken »

LordMortis wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:49 pm
Kraken wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:48 pm A lot of artists released albums with filler around their hits, but some wrote albums as a whole. The Lamb Lies Down (On Broadway), The Wall, Tommy, Desperado...does anyone still write stories like that? Even when they had filler, it was a bridge between chapters.
Do you mean albums that try to be musical theatre or albums that are released to be albums, that continue a theme or just fit together?
I just meant albums whose songs all work together to tell a story or convey a theme, and that are best heard in the order presented. You know, albums meant to be *listened to* start-to-finish rather than just a collection of songs to play in the background at a party.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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hitbyambulance wrote: Sun Jan 17, 2021 1:53 am
YellowKing wrote: Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:59 pm Morrissey's weird politics (supporting liberal American politicians in one breath and supporting far-right UK politicians the next) just leaves you scratching your head.
i have... a lot ... of Morrissey albums/merch but i'm at the point where i stopped buying his stuff/paying to go to his shows because i'm tired of it. it's like he's contrarian just to be contrarian at times.* it doesn't help that i don't feel he's released a consistent album since 1992 (_Your Arsenal_ was better than _Vauxhall & I_). i'll listen to the new ones... once... when i borrow them from the library.
I'm in the same boat. I love The Smiths and M's first few solo albums but the quality has waned as his politics have become more extreme. It doesn't help that I bought tickets to several of his shows that wound up cancelled. I won't make that mistake again.

Some artists you just have to enjoy the art without thinking too much about the artist (looking at you, Woody Allen).
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by LordMortis »

Kraken wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 4:59 pm
LordMortis wrote: Mon Jan 18, 2021 3:49 pm
Kraken wrote: Sat Jan 09, 2021 10:48 pm A lot of artists released albums with filler around their hits, but some wrote albums as a whole. The Lamb Lies Down (On Broadway), The Wall, Tommy, Desperado...does anyone still write stories like that? Even when they had filler, it was a bridge between chapters.
Do you mean albums that try to be musical theatre or albums that are released to be albums, that continue a theme or just fit together?
I just meant albums whose songs all work together to tell a story or convey a theme, and that are best heard in the order presented. You know, albums meant to be *listened to* start-to-finish rather than just a collection of songs to play in the background at a party.

Then The Monitor. It's the mixing of metaphors by weaving the inner turmoil of a early 20s millennial of 2000s with the the turmoil of Civil War America. I think it was meant to be self reflective as a warning and it turned out to be unheeded and became a prophesy. Because of that "Old Friends and New" doesn't fit... Or at least it doesn't to date... Maybe, we're better than this and it will find it's place...
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Count Basie - The Atomic Basie - 1957
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I discovered Count Basie in a pretty roundabout way. Years ago I watched Robert Altman's film Kansas City for two reasons - the name/setting and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film is pretty forgetable but the soundtrack is amazing:
Altman gathered some of the best living jazz musicians, put them on a set representing the Hey Hey Club, and asked them to play period material in the style of the Kansas City jazz giants (Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Jay McShann, Lester Young, etc.). He filmed their work in a concert documentary style, and intercuts it"
I bought the soundtrack shortly after and I've listened to it regularly ever since.

The book calls this Basie's "last great record" which is pretty impressive when you consider his heyday was the 1930s. It's big band jazz/swing and it's great.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners - 1957
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Thelonious Monk is one of those artists I've heard about for years - my proto-hipster roommate back in college used to go on about him so it's been at least 30 years - but never actually heard. Wikipedia says this is considered his "artistic peak" and while I get it, it's still jazz. It's... fine? I could listen to this in a smoky cocktail bar and be perfectly happy but I'm not sure I hear the brilliance.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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My experience with Thelonious Monk is limited, but the one album of his I own, Solo Monk (1965) I'd agree is amazing if you like jazz piano. I love the way you can hear him humming on some tracks.

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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Sabu - Palo Congo - 1957
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An album of Cuban folk and rumba. I admire the energy but my inability to understand any of the lyrics kind of limits how much I get ouf of my time with the album.

I'm fairly certain I would have been OK making it through my life without hearing this one but it's behind me now. Moving on!
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool - 1957
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Wiki tells me this is a compilation of recordings from 1949-1950 originally intended to be released on 78 RPM discs - which is why each track isn't much more than three minutes long. Listening it becomes readily apparent why this made the list - Miles Davis is brilliant and even my unsophisticated ears can appreciate his talent. I like the short running time of each track which I think helps keep each focused rather than devolving into a series of meandering solos.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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180 of those artists I'm either fully or basically unaware of (spanning 1956 to 2010).
105 of those albums I owned physically (spanning 1970 to 2007).
52 of those albums I owned digitally (spanning 1963 to 2010).

All albums listed, frequency by year:
Image

I'm tempted to go through the 180 listed albums by artists I'm not familiar with, but I don't think I'd make the time to sit and listen to full albums without otherwise distracting myself (in which case, what's the point?).
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by hentzau »

Exodor wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 11:48 pm Count Basie - The Atomic Basie - 1957
Image

I discovered Count Basie in a pretty roundabout way. Years ago I watched Robert Altman's film Kansas City for two reasons - the name/setting and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film is pretty forgetable but the soundtrack is amazing:
Altman gathered some of the best living jazz musicians, put them on a set representing the Hey Hey Club, and asked them to play period material in the style of the Kansas City jazz giants (Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Jay McShann, Lester Young, etc.). He filmed their work in a concert documentary style, and intercuts it"
I bought the soundtrack shortly after and I've listened to it regularly ever since.

The book calls this Basie's "last great record" which is pretty impressive when you consider his heyday was the 1930s. It's big band jazz/swing and it's great.
I love me some Count Basie. His version of "From Russia With Love" is an all time favorite of mine.
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by Exodor »

Machito - Kenya - 1957
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Machito was a latin big-band leader who helped popularize salsa music (wiki says he's credited with creating it. It's a fun listen with lots of energy and I dig the big-band horns.

That said, I'm ready to move back to rock'n'roll. You listening, 1001 Albums?
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Little Richard - Here's Little Richard - 1957
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I asked for rock'n'roll and I got it!

More a collection of singles than an album but who cares - it's Little Richard at his energenic best. "Tutti Frutti" leads off (and what else could?) but "Ready Teddy" has the same unignorable appeal. "Slippin and Slidin" and "Rip it Up" were also top-40 singles. I always seem to forget that "Long Tall Sally" is a Little Richard song - I've heard Elvis, the Beatles and who knows how many others cover it. I'd never heard "She's Got It", which closes the album, and it's fun to hear the band speeding through the song so fas they almost lose control. You can feel the beat speed up during a few of the solos, pushing the soloist faster and faster.

This album is great. It's everything 50's rock'n'roll should be.
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LordMortis
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by LordMortis »

Exodor wrote: Mon Jan 25, 2021 1:04 am I always seem to forget that "Long Tall Sally" is a Little Richard song
We had a band "Mitch Rider and Detroit Wheels" when I was growing up who made their bread and butter covering Little Richard, so forgetting his works wasn't in the cards for a child of the 70s around here.
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Exodor
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Tito Puente and His Orchesta - Dance Mania - 1957
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And back to latin big band - this time Tito Puente and mambo. I undersatand why many of these were selected as they were the first time these musical styles were introduced to the larger american public. I can appreciate the musicianship but I can't see listening to it outside of a dance studio.
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Exodor
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

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Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin - 1958
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According to wiki and the book, by the time this was recorded in 1957 Billie Holiday's voice wasn't what it used to be due to years of alcohol and drug abuse. You can hear that but you can also hear the impact of those years not just on her range but in the way she sings the songs - she's seen some shit. Unfortunately her voice is backed up by some at times overly sweet and schamltzy orchestral arrangements but they can't hide the emotion in her vocals.
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Exodor
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Re: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Post by Exodor »

Jack Elliott - Jack Takes the Floor - 1958
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While I'm not a fan of country music I generally like folk music even though the gap between the two can be pretty narrow. This is on the folk side of that divide and it's pretty great - just Jack, his guitar and some spoken intros to each song.

The only modern folkie I really follow is John Wesley Harding and this album is pretty clearly one of his big influences.
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